What's New

The following information provides highlights of some of the features available
in this release of vCenter Server Heartbeat:

Features

vCenter Server Heartbeat — The SQL Server Plug-in provides
protection for the SQL Server database if it is present on the same server
or if deployed separately. Please note that SQL Server instances added
after the SQL Server Plug-in is installed will not be protected.

Availability Rules — vCenter Server Heartbeat provides
the following rules to check the health of the vCenter Server. If these
rules trigger, they can be configured to recover the vCenter Server application.

Check that vCenter Server can communicate with SQL Server.

Check that vCenter Server is able to communicate with the License
Server and is fully licensed.

Support for WAN Deployments — vCenter Server Heartbeat
supports WAN deployments where the disaster recovery site is configured:

With the same subnet range, where the Secondary server is configured
with the same IP address (default).

With a different subnet range, where the Secondary server requires
a different IP address.

vCenter Server Heartbeat can be configured to update the ESX hosts
with the new IP address during the switchover or failover process.
Refer to knowledge base article VMware
vCenter Server Heartbeat - Online Help (KB 1008601) (vCSHB-Ref-1453).

Learning about vCenter Server Heartbeat

VMware provides you with manuals that show you how to work with vCenter
Server Heartbeat. Additionally, you can view a video that introduces you
to the product and demonstrates a sample installation. To download and play
the video:

Before You Begin

Note: Before installing this release, review the vCenter
Server Heartbeat Quick Start Guide for important information about environmental
requirements and the selection of options during the installation process.

Installation Notes for This
Release

See the vCenter Server Heartbeat Guides before installing this software.
You must verify that your server environment meets the minimum requirements
for the network option (LAN or WAN) selected. These guides also address
minimum hardware/software requirements and scaling recommendations associated
with this release. To view a guide, click one of the following links:

Enhancing Performance in
WAN Environments

In WAN environments, if the latency drops below the specification for a
T1 that this might reduce throughput and affect performance. Available WAN
bandwidth, load on the vCenter Server system, and size of the vCenter Server
inventory all affect performance . To ensure performance:

Sufficient spare bandwidth is available to support replication of both
vCenter Server and SQL Server data.

The minimum available bandwidth required to operate vCenter Server Heartbeat
in a WAN environment is normally 1 Mbps. For vCenter Server Heartbeat installations
with the SQL Server running on the same machine, you should increase the
available bandwidth according to the number of vCenter Server management
operations. As a general rule, add 1 Mbps of spare bandwidth for every 50
ESX/ESXi hosts managed by vCenter Server.

To determine available and required bandwidth, VMware recommends using
the Heartbeat Diagnostics utility to monitor the WAN load and available
bandwidth. To start Heartbeat Diagnostics:

Navigate to <VMware_vCenter_Server_Heartbeat_installation_directory>\Diagnostics\Bin.

Execute the Heartbeat Diagnostics Configuration Tool.

For more information about Heartbeat Diagnostics, contact VMware Technical
Support.

Known Issues

Replication

Virtual Infrastructure Client plug-ins not replicated
vCenter Server Heartbeat does not replicate the enabled and disables state
of the VI Client plug-ins between the active and passive server.

Configuration

Do not configure both server to have the same role or same identity
using the Configure Server wizard.
vCenter Server Heartbeat is designed to operate with:

one Primary and one Secondary server (the identity), multiple Primary
or Secondary servers will not connect over the VMware Channel.

Only one active and one passive server (the role), do not configure
two passive servers as they will not connect over the VMware Channel
and vCenter Server will not run. Configuring two active server can
cause Split-brain syndrome.